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Know before you fly
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April 14, 2000: 5:54 a.m. ET
Internet can provide information on safety, service for airline travelers
By Staff Writer Rob Lenihan
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - When you fly, you want to get to your destination safely, comfortably and economically. In other words, you want information.
How good is a particular airline's safety record? Has the air carrier been fined recently for any major violations? Does the airline have a good service record or are passengers left fuming in terminals?
Most aviation experts favor the major air carriers, warning that several non-U.S. airlines have questionable safety records.
The Internet is a good source for such airline information, with much of it available on government Web sites. Surfing before you fly can save time, money and aggravation.
Safety first
You've heard this before, but experts still say flying is statistically the safest mode of transportation available. Bill Waldock, associate director of the center for aerospace safety education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said attention to airline safety has increased dramatically over the last 10 years.
Click here for a survey on laptop spying on airplanes
Of course, airline disasters dominate news coverage and ride high in the minds of many air travelers. But Waldock said air disasters, as terrible as they are, do not serve as good indicators of airline safety. 
"The only thing an accident tells us is that something failed somewhere in the system," Waldock said. "You can have an airline that goes way beyond safety standards and still have an accident that sneaks through."
Waldock advised traveling on one of the major air carriers and had some safety tips for passengers. They include:
- Look for non-stop flights. Since statistics show most air crashes occur during take-off and landing, it makes sense to reduce the number of times you take to the air.
- Sit in an aisle seat. If something happens and you do have to get out of that plane, the most direct path is always the best.
- Wear natural fibers. Synthetic materials shrink and melt during a fire. Also, don't wear shorts or tank tops -- you want some protection.
- And when the flight attendants give that safety speech before take-off, listen to them.
Quality control
Information on a particular airline's quality of service can come from private sources. The annual Airline Quality Rating study ranks the top 10 major U.S. airlines using such criteria as baggage handling, on-time arrivals, denied boardings and customer complaints.
The report found consumer complaints rose 130 percent last year over 1998.
"The overall quality continues to decline for the industry as a whole," said co-author Brent Bowen, director and professor, Aviation Institute, University of Nebraska at Omaha. "Consumers are just fed up being mistreated by airlines."
Bowen, who co-wrote the report with Dean Headley of the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University, said the number of on-time arrivals worsened slightly last year, as did the number of people being bumped from their flights. The only area where the airline industry improved was in mishandled baggage.
The AQR study rated 10 major airline carriers as follows:
- Southwest—the lowest rate of customer complaints of any of the major carriers; moved up from the middle of the pack in 1998 to the top spot in 1999.
- Continental—better than average in on-time arrivals, mishandled baggage and involuntary denied boardings.
- Delta—decline in performance for on-time arrivals, mishandled bags and customer complaints. Posted the third smallest decline in performance.
- Northwest—most improved overall AQR score of all airlines rated in 1999. Improved in on-time arrival performance, denied boardings (industry best) and mishandled baggage.
- Alaska—fewer denied boardings, fewer mishandled bags, but lower on-time performance and higher consumer complaint rate. Second most improved for all of the major airlines.
- US Airways—largest decline in AQR score, with on-time arrival, mishandled baggage, involuntary denied boarding rates and customer complaints all becoming worse in 1999.
- American Airlines—the second largest decline in the group; an improvement in involuntary denied boardings could not offset declines in other areas.
- America West—improved on-time performance for 1999, but still posted the worst on-time performance rate of all major airlines in 1999.
- TWA—had best on-time performance in the industry for the year, but mishandled baggage rates stayed the same and customer complaint rate increased in 1999. Smallest decline in score of all seven airlines posting decline.
- United—better on-time arrivals, but declining performance in denied boardings and number of complaints per passenger. Improved its mishandled baggage, but still the worst among the top carriers.
Diana Cronan, a spokeswoman for the Airline Transport Association, said the study did not reflect the airline industry's plans to improve service through its "Customer First" program, which was implemented in mid-December of 1999.
Sources - official and otherwise
Want to know if your airline flies clear of trouble?
The Federal Aviation Administration announces fines against airlines of $50,000 or more. In addition, the agency publishes quarterly enforcement reports, which compile enforcement actions against regulated aviation entities that are closed with a civil penalty or the issuing of a certificate suspension or revocation.
You will have to do some searching, however, as the FAA does not recommend or condemn particular air carriers. 
"We want to present the information so consumers can make an informed choice," said FAA spokeswoman Alison Dequette.
If you want information on a particular airline, you can file a Freedom of Information Act request. Dequette said most of the requests ask for a particular airline's record of accidents or incidents for a certain period of time, or consumers are looking for information on a particular aircraft.
There is a minimum charge of $10 for the information and it increases depending on the complexity of the request. In the event of a major accident, the FAA will often post relevant information on its Web site, so check the site first.
The FAA site also carries information for the international traveler. The International Aviation Assessment Home Page contains information about a country's ability to oversee their air carriers.
If you want to go outside government sources, there's AirlineSafety.com, a Web site covering air safety issues. Editor-in-chief Robert Boser, who said he was an airline pilot for 33 years, said he launched the site to "shoot down misinformation about airline safety."
The site carries questions and answers about major airline disasters and an editorial page focusing on aviation issues. 
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